Wingin' It

First, I should totally highlight the fact that this month I celebrate my girls’ third birthday. Exactly 3 years ago I received my gorgeous Erika, Blanca, Rosalind and Jaime as a graduation gift from a treasured friend Lin. Happy Birthday, girls! I love you all!

Anyway, to business:

Last week I hit rock bottom at one point with Sugarplum (seriously, is there some equivalent of writers’ block in design?), so I decided to take a break, and going back to tie up a few loose ends I left. I hadn’t yet made the key fairy feature for my girls Lilac and Tinkerbell; wings! 

With Tink, I wanted to add size range to the collection. I thought of her appendages seeming to be part of her vest, subtly indicated protruding from her shoulders. I started with some cardboard as a base for each wing shape, then layered the remains of the chiffon and linen fabric onto it, even tossing some of the leftover bling into the look.

Literally, the second I finished these, I wondered what the heck I was thinking! The size was way too big, threw off the balance of the upper part of the costume. I scratched that pair and started at once on a simpler version, instead with a smaller more flexible paper base and holding back on the bling. Now the wings are clearly there, but not overbearing the whole ensemble. And anyway, who said wings have to be functional?

For Lilac, I didn’t like where the mask idea was heading. It looked too much like those commedia d’ell arte looks. However, I still liked the idea of hiding the eyes, as if suggesting them being closed for sleep. I then remembered the image of the Greek Goddess Nemesis, with half of her mysteriously covered by this black cloth that hides her eyes. The effect is so simple yet subtle, it’s perfect for Lilac’s narcolepsy theme.

Her wings I’ve always envisioned being long, sleek and flowing down on the ground, more like a heavy cloak with frayed ‘moth eaten’ edges. This makes her walk have this amazing train behind her, like how she drags the sleeping curse everywhere with her.